0000000000543718
AUTHOR
Massimo Lopez
Cetuximab plus FOLFOX-4 in untreated patients with advanced colorectal cancer: a Gruppo Oncologico dell'Italia Meridionale Multicenter phase II study.
<i>Objectives:</i> FOLFOX-4 and FOLFIRI are considered equivalent in terms of activity and efficacy as first-line chemotherapy in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). The monoclonal antibody (mAb) cetuximab showed intrinsic activity as a single agent in mCRC and was approved in combination with CPT-11 for patients who failed previous CPT-11-based treatment. The purpose of this phase II study was to evaluate the activity and safety of FOLFOX-4 plus cetuximab in untreated mCRC patients. <i>Methods:</i> Untreated patients with measurable metastatic disease and expressing epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) received cetuximab at a loading dose of 400 mg/m<sup>2…
FOLFIRI with or without celecoxib in advanced colorectal cancer: a randomized phase II study of the Gruppo Oncologico dell'Italia Meridionale (GOIM)
Background The aim of the study was to verify the efficacy and safety of the addition of celecoxib to FOLFIRI combination therapy in patients affected by advanced colorectal cancer. Patients and methods Eighty-one chemotherapy-naive patients entered in this randomized phase II trial of the GOIM (protocol no. 2301). Patients were randomized to receive FOLFIRI regimen (arm A): irinotecan 180 mg/m2 on day 1 with LV5FU2 regimen (LV at 100 mg/m2 administered as a 2-h infusion before FU at 400 mg/m2 as an intravenous bolus injection, and FU at 600 mg/m2 as a 22-h infusion immediately after 5-FU bolus injection on day 1 and 2); or FOLFIRI plus celecoxib 400 mg twice daily for 14 days (arm B). Both…
Epirubicin, Folinic Acid, Fluorouracil, and Etoposide in the Treatment of Advanced Gastric Cancer
In the authors' previous experience, the addition of epidoxorubicin to the FA-FU regimen obtained a better response rate than that of FA-FU alone in patients with advanced gastric cancer. Furthermore, considering the good efficacy and mild toxicity observed with the addition of etoposide to the FA-FU combination in the German study, the authors conducted a trial to explore the efficacy and tolerability of the ELFE regimen (epirubicin, folinic acid, fluorouracil, and etoposide) in previously untreated advanced gastric cancer patients. Of the 55 patients entered, 51 were evaluable for efficacy. Four complete responses (8%) and 21 partial responses (41%) were observed, with an overall response…
Thymosin α1 and α-Inteferon with Cisplatin and Etoposide in Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: A Phase II Study
In recent years, biological response modifiers (BRMs) have emerged as an important new class of agents for treating cancer. Agents such as interferon (IFN) and interleukin 2 (IL-2) have been reported to induce significant tumor regression in various types of cancer usually resistant to chemotherapy (1,12), but their use in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has received little attention.
Modulation of 5-fluorouracil as adjuvant systemic chemotherapy in colorectal cancer: the IGCS-COL multicentre, randomised, phase III study
The aims of this multicentre, randomised phase III trial were to evaluate: (1) the role of levamisol (LEV); and (2) the role of folinic acid (FA), added to 5-fluorouracil (5FU) in the adjuvant treatment of colorectal cancer. Patients with histologically proven, radically resected stage II or III colon or rectal cancer were eligible. The study had a 2x2 factorial design with four treatment arms: (a) 5FU alone, (b) 5FU+LEV, (c) 5FU+FA, (d) 5FU+LEV+FA, and two planned comparisons, testing the role of LEV and of FA, respectively. From March 1991, to September 1998, 1327 patients were randomised. None of the two comparisons resulted in a significant disease-free (DFS) or overall (OAS) survival a…